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Post by simnettpratt on May 22, 2021 0:24:58 GMT -5
What do you mean 'change the baseball'?
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Post by terrapinflyer on May 22, 2021 1:05:06 GMT -5
Yes, it's highly unusual and I wasn't aware of some of those stats. And last year the ball was juiced so now there's this.
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Post by terrapinflyer on May 22, 2021 1:07:37 GMT -5
What do you mean 'change the baseball'? It's going to be a cube? Weight parameters again, I think. I haven't heard talk of a midseason change.
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Post by urbino on May 22, 2021 1:43:50 GMT -5
What do you mean 'change the baseball'? For several years up until this year, the balls had been wound tighter, which makes it fly farther, and stitched with lower seams, which makes it harder for pitchers to spin it. That was the "juiced" ball Emily's talking about. It was something MLB did without actually telling anybody they were doing it. They own the company that makes them. Everybody just noticed HR numbers suddenly were up across the board, and were left scratching their heads. Pitchers noticed the difference in the seams, but it took a while for many of them to say anything. For years, MLB denied everything. This off-season, MLB said, "Hey, we're going to change some things to try to get things back in balance." So far this year, offenses across the board are terrible, and you're seeing weird anomalies, like no-hitters at a record pace. The pitchers, again, noticed right away that the seams were much higher. That makes it much easier to spin, which makes it harder to hit. The ball also definitely is not flying when it is hit. In general, given the numbers, people seem to think MLB overcompensated. The whole mess is soooo typical of Rob Manfred's time as Commissioner -- which is to say it's been a hamhanded, charlie-foxtrot, bs-rich experience, thoroughly devoid of courage and honesty. In my personal opinion, they're going to try to de-overcompensate by using differently made balls, again, after the All-Star break. (And not admit they're doing it, in all likelihood.)
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Post by simnettpratt on May 22, 2021 15:47:53 GMT -5
Oh. As in literally change the ball. Hmm.
Nice to see the Rangers' fans booing the Astros the other day. Specifically the four players from 2017. Jackweeds.
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Post by terrapinflyer on May 22, 2021 16:35:21 GMT -5
We shall see what happens ball-wise. Some transparency would certainly be refreshing, but I'm not holding my breath.
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Post by urbino on May 22, 2021 21:14:57 GMT -5
Dodger fans booed Josh Reddick thoroughly during his ABs with the D'backs earlier in the week, along with choruses of "cheater."
Well, I didn't know we were playing earlier than usual today. Guess I'll watch the game later. But, hey, we won!
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Post by terrapinflyer on May 22, 2021 23:57:58 GMT -5
Phillies gave those Sawx a run for it tonight. Sox squeaked a one run win. I didn't realize Didi Gregorius was on IL. Sox will try for a three game sweep tomorrow. It was a good game.
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Post by terrapinflyer on May 23, 2021 0:27:29 GMT -5
I just looked at the next few weeks for Boston: Braves, Marlins, Astros, Yankees, and Astros again. It looks like fun. They just pulled up a Santana-- OF and 2B so far. He's homered in both games he's played.
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William Straub
New Member
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Post by William Straub on May 25, 2021 14:16:55 GMT -5
As I lifelong Mets fan (and I refer to the team's lifespan, since 1962) I thought they had a shot this year. But of the 26-man roster, 16 are currently on the injury list (I still call it the disabled list, by the way) including 4 centerfielders and three members of the 5-man rotation. It's been a mess, losing 7 out of the last 10, and I can't even get pissed off -- they're literally out of players. Somehow they're still in first place. Gonna be a long season.
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Post by urbino on May 25, 2021 23:17:55 GMT -5
Yeah, the injury bug is biting several teams pretty hard, including the Dodgers, but the Mets have gotten it worse than anybody.
Dodgers whupped the Astros, 9-1, at their place. Kershaw drank their milkshake. Their bullpen walked in 3 runs in a single inning.
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Post by terrapinflyer on May 26, 2021 18:24:57 GMT -5
And Braves' Marcel Ozuna is out for six weeks, at least. He broke middle and ring fingers sliding in to third last night. He looked like it hurt and he went right to the clubhouse.
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Post by urbino on May 26, 2021 22:43:53 GMT -5
I will never be able to think of Marcel Ozuna without seeing him climbing the wall in St. Louis to catch a ball that landed barely on the warning track (and then bounded over his wall-hoisted head into the stands). Funniest thing I have ever seen on a baseball field. And he took it in good humor.
Dodgers lost to the 'Stros today. We were bound to lose one sometime. Now it's back to the Giants again. Cody Bellinger and Zach McKinstry are playing in rehab games in AAA, so they should be back before too long.
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Post by terrapinflyer on May 27, 2021 4:08:28 GMT -5
Dadgummit. Sox were up by a couple runs mid 6th against Braves and it started raining. They hadn't come on after a bit and set the timer on the TV, as I have an early doc appointment today. They must have come back right after the timer shut the tube off. Oh, well, they got the win in a six hours game.
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Post by urbino on May 27, 2021 14:28:32 GMT -5
They got the win. That's the important part. Well, it's half the important part.
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Post by urbino on May 27, 2021 23:15:44 GMT -5
Sounds like the Yanks won't be getting Kluber back anytime soon. That should help your cause, Emily.
Dodgers up 4-3 in the 7th inning of a bullpen game, right now.
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Post by terrapinflyer on May 29, 2021 14:39:16 GMT -5
Sounds like the Yanks won't be getting Kluber back anytime soon. That should help your cause, Emily. Dodgers up 4-3 in the 7th inning of a bullpen game, right now. Not a way I'd prefer, but there it is. We see the pinstripes next week for the first time, between 'Stros series. Dugie blasted a three-run homer last night in a wet, cold game called off in the sixth. I had just gotten home and there were puddles on the infield. Mom says it's crappy there today, too.
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Post by urbino on May 30, 2021 1:53:19 GMT -5
Dugie was a very promising young hitter in our system. I'm not surprised he's doing well. Just has to take care of that back.
I wasn't able to watch, but the Dodgers dropped one to the Giants, today.
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Post by urbino on Jun 9, 2021 23:57:37 GMT -5
I haven't had time to watch much baseball the last 7-10 days, and the Dodgers have mostly been in the Central and Eastern time zones, which doesn't work well with my schedule.
They're still not playing as well as they should, but they're getting by. Got Bellinger back a few days ago, which should help, and Tony Gonsolin yesterday. It sounds like Seager's broken hand is healing quicker than expected, too. He may be back before the ASB.
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Post by terrapinflyer on Jun 10, 2021 10:14:09 GMT -5
I heard that Bellinger was back. Good for LA. That's gotta help, especially if Seager can return sooner.
I hope you didn't jinx Dugie. He was out for his back last night after returning from a hamstring strain. The kid is a valuable asset to the Sox when healthy. Kiké, not so much. BOS lost 3 of 4 in Houston (then swept NYY in Yankee Stadium) and returned to Fenway for 'Stros again. Houston hitting is clobbering Sox pitching. Third game of this run is tonight, but Sox have lost the first two. Badly lost.
The latest "scandal" brewing is pitchers doctoring the ball. Something is going on, but I don't know if that's it. Hey, I don't think anyone threw a no no last week!
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Post by urbino on Jun 10, 2021 14:00:20 GMT -5
Yeah, been hearing a bit about the doctoring thing, what with Bauer being on the Dodgers now. I guess he called some attention to himself on the issue a couple years back when he said publicly that Verlander (I think?) and somebody else were getting the spin rates they were getting because they were using some kind of goo on the ball.
Either way, Rob Manfred suddenly developing a conscience about the rules is a little hard for this fan to swallow.
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Post by terrapinflyer on Jun 10, 2021 14:27:33 GMT -5
Bauer is a bit of a character.
It reminds me of the Leslie Nielson movie where the pitcher has files, Vaseline, maybe an orbital sander or something when he's being checked for weapons.
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Post by urbino on Jun 10, 2021 15:27:15 GMT -5
Bauer is a bit of a character. It reminds me of the Leslie Nielson movie where the pitcher has files, Vaseline, maybe an orbital sander or something when he's being checked for weapons. I could do without him, personally. He seems to have been correct on this one, though; I guess I have to give him that.
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Post by terrapinflyer on Jun 10, 2021 17:01:20 GMT -5
And Gerrit Cole sort of confirmed it with a non-answer the other day, too.
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Post by urbino on Jun 10, 2021 19:15:04 GMT -5
Interesting. Hadn't heard that.
From comments by various managers and pitchers, I guess it's been a big open secret around the league for years that MLB wasn't interested in enforcing it. Not sure who decided that was a good idea. Maybe it was a by-product of the steroid era?
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Post by terrapinflyer on Jun 10, 2021 22:10:51 GMT -5
I don't know.
To paraphrase somebody, they should have an all steroid, all tech sign stealing, all foreign substance use league. Corked bats and pine tar. Let 'em at it.
I'm kidding, because I like to think they're all good sports. I watch NHL for the dirty play! Of course the Bruins got knocked out of the playoffs last night...
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Post by urbino on Jun 10, 2021 23:35:12 GMT -5
Sounds like the "All-Drug Olympics" bit they did on SNL years ago.
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Post by terrapinflyer on Jun 11, 2021 16:27:43 GMT -5
Sounds like the "All-Drug Olympics" bit they did on SNL years ago. That may be where that came from. My memory sometimes is best described as "vague." ETA: last night Sox finally blocked an Astros sweep last night in a very strange, high scoring game. There was even a streaker.
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Post by urbino on Jun 13, 2021 23:51:59 GMT -5
Dodgers took 2 of 3 from the Rangers. Won 12-1. Lost 12-1. Then won the finale by a more conventional 5-3.
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Post by terrapinflyer on Jun 14, 2021 18:26:55 GMT -5
Red Sox pitching has crashed. They hosted a home run derby at Fenway on Sunday 18-4 win for the Jays.
From today's Boston Globe:
"Red Sox starters have allowed 40 earned runs on 66 hits over 39 innings the last nine games, a period of time that roughly coincides with Major League Baseball leaking out the news that it would soon instruct umpires to crack down on pitchers putting illegal substances on the ball."
You do the math.
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